I’ve watched a ton of boat videos and this is one of the most practical and useful 30 minutes I have ever spent on RUclips. Thanks so much for sharing.
Cool video, I'm taking notes. I don't know if you still read comments to old videos, or if you already know this. Mosquitoes can't fly against a 2 mph breeze, so a good fan shuts 'em right down. Say your back flap needs to be open, a couple of those neat fans... they're not getting in. I also use pyrethrin on my mosquito nets/screens, at home, on my tent (and on my sailboat in a couple of years) they land on it, get sick drop off and die. Pyrethrin is pretty safe to use, has only a slight odor for a couple of days, lasts on jackets, hats, screens, tents... for about 6 weeks. And of course you don't use it on everything, just for mozzies. What would be great now that you have 5 years and a circumnavigation (congratulations!) might be to go over what was state of the art when you started - boat design, electronics, comms, etc... what changed, what's state of the art now, what you expect for the future.... If you changed boats. I like the way you advanced the second chart plotter idea to the next generation. (I think by the time I go blue water Starlink will be worldwide so internet everywhere all the time. I can well imagine that by 2200 a sizeable part of the world's population will be living on the water - or Mars.) Thanks for sharing what you've learned.
Since I began sailing in the very early 70's I've sailed monohulls, never thinking that one day catamarans would interest me. But watching videos such as Gone With the Wynns, La Vagabond, and yours, I've begun to admire catamarans. Today I own a Beneteau 42s7 monohull and there is little to no chance I'll change to a catamaran given the restricted docking where I dock today. This video was very interesting, enlightening, and educational....thank you for sharing. By the way, I attended the University of Houston (graduated '78) and worked for a sailboat dealer while going to school. It was called Sailboats West and when I began working for them it was located on Post Oak between Richmond and Post Oak in the old KTRH television studios. A year of so later the business moved to Bellaire, just a couple of miles away. I don't know what ever happened to them. While I worked at Sailboats West, my new wife was a nurse working for Dr. Michael Debakey in his open heart intensive care unit at the Methodist Hospital. That's been years ago...my how time flies. Again, thanks for sharing.....I'm loving your videos.
Great insight into catamaran ownership (Especially Helia 44) and your honesty in sharing what has worked and what you would do differently with another possible cat purchase...Thank you for taking the time to create this video
We had a TON of help getting SH ready to start cruising and have learned a LOT since we started out. This is just part of our effort to pay it forward. :)
Out Chasing Stars Thank you for your prompt response. Heather and me are making our Cat purchase in 2019 and I have some fairly strong views on going all electric (no diesel motors) due to what will be available for power storage (batteries) in 2 years time. Combination of; Solar, Wind and Hydro should be a suitable blend combined with some serious battery storage should work... Have a lovely Day 👍🇬🇧😁 Onwards and Upwards to us all
If you have a cat with two screws I recommend that you have at least one diesel engine. You don't use two screws all the time, and having the diesel for an emergency is a really good idea. Those new batteries coming out especially the lithium ion type...to support an electric drive you are looking at like 30k for batteries that might last 7 years...probably more like 5. Everybody wants the electric drive, but I can tell you that it isn't all it's cracked up to be for continuous use. Fuel for a circumnavigation you won't use 2k fuel a year...more like 1k usually. The cost reward really isn't there, but it is better for lead acid batteries. Though you can't take more than 10-20% capacity out of the lead acid batteries or they just won't last. Soo...in other words you get maybe 3 hours of life out of your drive at extra slow speeds before having to shut it down.
Iast August I crossed from Southampton to new York on the QM2 never done anything like it before and loved it. Halfway across after not seeing anything for days I see a sail boat pass going in the opposite direction .And thinking what the hell are they doing out in the middle of the Atlantic in that small boat as I'm sipping my cocktail in my suit about to go to dinner and watch Herbie Hancock play live on board. And ever since I returned from that trip ( crossing) I have been glued to RUclips watching people sail around the world in some amazing boats. Much to my misses discuss. But i Love watching people living life to the full and doing things I could only dream of. Money being the only thing stopping me from doing so. Anyway i love watching your videos you talk things through and explain things in detail then over videos I've watched. Thanks to people like you two I get to have dreams of doing the same thing. All the best cheers
You set your boat up beautifully. As for the "living on a water condo rather than sailing" criticism - most 35 ft. monohull sailors would buy a 55+ ft yacht in a heartbeat if they could afford it. Why? More stability and living space. Those boats, which I've been on, also have state of the art electronics, etc. A 55+ foot boat does not heel the way a 35 foot boat heels. It sails flatter because it is more stable. So, are they no longer really sailing? What is sailing? Racing? All good boats will sail. Comfort is key to safety as well. If the boat is stable, it will sail well. For me, the point you are making with the way you are living is that you are living on the ocean rather than looking at the ocean from a condo on shore, or wishing you were closer to the ocean from miles away. It's also about having the mobility to move from one place to the other, and visiting other countries and cultures at will, all under sail. Enjoy!
Hi. Nice videos. Tip for your dingys Suzuki engine. The 9.9 sport- 15 and 20 hp lean burn engines are the same engines. The only thing that is different between the 9.9 sport, 15 and the 20 is the ECU and the restrictor in the air intake tube . 9.9 to 15 hp- remove restrictor in the intake or drill the center hole in the restrictor up to 16mm. The easyest is to remowe it, Just cut it out with a sharp knife. 15 to 20 hp. Remove the restrictor and by a new ECU that give you the 200 extra rpm. 👍🙂🇧🇻
There is pretty much an instant increase in temperature if we remove the window shades. At times, life inside would be almost unbearable with out them!
Wow! Great video....every time you two put out a video I enjoy it so much. I don't think you could ever make a bad one! The quality of the picture on the video is fantastic! Wow! Wow! Wow! Such an informative video!!! Two Thumbs UP!!!!! I am sitting over here making notes. I am about five years away from supporting my own boat, and I am paying CLOSE attention to everything you two say and do!! Awesome!! Awesome!! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hehe, this video is a sneak peak using our new camera. I like our new camera! :D Glad to help give you ideas, but I'm sure there are/will be plenty of examples of things NOT to do as well!
Thank you Amy and David! That was an excellent video for those of us looking to buy a production cat and live aboard. Your travel videos are always an awesome balance between sharing the moment and providing great information and history. I appreciate your efforts :)
We're really glad to hear that you enjoy the informational/historical side to our videos. It's a bit of a hard balance to strike, but we really enjoy those parts of our travels and want to share. :)
You have a beautiful catamaran fitted out with state of the art electronics.You must have had many interesting experiences sailing around the planet.Fitting a hydro generator sounds like a good idea.
I've watched a lot of yachting videos. I want to go motor cruising and there is a crossover with equipment. Seriously, this is the first video I have watched that makes sense to me with the extras you have. Most particularly, the enclosed cockpit/helm whachamacallit, the large generator, cleaning with unsalted water and large battery capacity. Not to mention aircon. I want a fly bridge, but definitely want it to be enclosed while cruising. The other compulsory items would be a dishwasher and washing machine and dryer.
Finally a much needed video!THANK YOU!!! I've been watching vids that share general sailing and some technical ones but I learned so much here in just one vid! So, KUDOS TO BOTH OF YOU!! Here's what I learned that I didn't know after 6 months and a couple hundred hours. I had no idea there were oil change pumps! (what a concept and a no brainer) I also didn't know there are rope cutters on folding props. (another no brainer.) And great tip about the fresh water flush for the heads. BTW...I'm not at all surprised at all the issues you've had with improper installation of the satellite equipment. I hold a General Class licence with the FCC (Amateur Radio) and can tell you all coax IS NOT created equal. It's too much to go into here and I'm planning on making a video but yes...the type of coax, the length and how many connectors you use are all SUPER CRITICAL and can be the difference between something working or not working. Also, THANK YOU for talking about the salty sailor standing on the back of his boat with the hair in his wind and wind in his air. (sorry...couldn't resist..Ü) I could never figure out why someone would want to endure the punishment of the sea in their face on top of getting thrown around from side to side. I thought maybe there was some secret sailor club that I didn't know about offering trophies to those who stood out there in their foul weather gear getting slammed from the elements. HA! So, I love you enclosures. Question? Why don't you make all the winches electric? PEACE OUT!
As I said, it can be well worth finding someone who knows more than you do when you're trying to outfit a boat. Pat helped us find those oil change pumps, design the enclosure/helm hardtop and all kinds of other things that we had no idea about at the time. There was no real need to go with all electric winches because all the important lines (halyards, furling lines, reef lines) all go to the one electric winch at the helm. Having additional electric winches would be nice, but not really worth the added expense or weight. And if there is some sort of super secret sailor club out there which requires standing outside in foulies, I probably don't want to be a part of it! :D
Great video again and presentation. I love your enclosed deck and helm station. When I look at this videos with people sailing the English Channel, with their “oilies”. I wonder how they think that is fun out in the open, getting blasted by the spray. I am not a sailor, but your setup in my view , with the Cat and the enclosed area, just makes sense to get you out of the sun, rain and spray. You guys are setup very comfortably and why not, it is your home. Safe journeys and thanks so much for sharing the good life of cruising.
My view was to try and set up the boat in a way that Amy would be happy to join me on this adventure. Somehow I doubt she'd be quite as enthused if she had to stand out in the salt spray during a mid-night squall! :)
billyl allen It's the difference between walking your dog in the park versus summiting a mountain. You can't just go and say that each activity is "just walking, putting one foot ahead of the other". They are two different activities with different costs and different rewards. Everyone has their own enjoyment to find in life.
Very informative, thank you. The only thing...the trampoline..the bigger the hole the less stress on the boat, maybe go back to bigger holes. You can get an temp small hole cover for when at anchorage. Safe travels!!!
Thanks for doing this guys. This is very helpful for those of us looking to do what you are doing in the future and will most likely will be getting a production boat that will need upgrades to become a full time live aboard boat.
Liked the video, touch on almost everything except the black water disposal and or treatment. the first video that really explained lots of important things . thank you AL
Hi Alvin, we cover black water and trash in our long Q&A video in our Environment section. You can check out the link here: ruclips.net/video/IxPqi1P8Gtk/видео.html
Just watched this again and, man, you guys, there is a ton of great info. Some of which I had forgotten from the first time thru. Thanks again. Question. Do you have a more detailed list of the what, why and who did the work and approx how much for all the upgrades as well as modifications? That would be great and kinda act as a checklist for the rest of us. No need to reinvent the wheel so I'm told. :) 😊✨🥂👍👌⛵️⚓️🍷✨
Hi David and Amy Thanks for your awesome videos. You guys are the best !!! This video in particular was very informative, and will help us in selection of our additional upgrades on our new Lagoon 42 as we get closer to our long term cruising plans. We have an 11kVa Onan genset and will be installing a HV water maker also. So it is good to receive some assurance on this choice. The only thing I was hoping to see was a pic of how and where you installed your shore power frequency converter. Thanks again for making the effort to share your experiences with al of us. Happy cruising. Cheers Tony
Yeah, sorry about that. We haven't ever used the frequency converter for its actual purpose so honestly I forget about it sometimes... We ended up having to cut out a fairly large part of the molded fiberglass storage under the owners berth to install the converter. It's very large and extremely heavy so that was the only place we could make it fit. Truthfully, I wouldn't do it again. It turns out our Air Cons are "derated" at 50hz (and getting them to run was our primary motivation for getting the converter) and we rarely spend time in marinas anyways...
David, I just re-watched your Catamaran set up. You may remember we are new Catamaran sailors after 25 year of mono. I took your recommendation on the code zero used one sheet. The other day we sailed up to 70 degrees in 8 to 10 apparent and the sail did great. The wind picked up to 12 knots so I decided that was enough. When I went to roll it up it was a bear. I would love to see how you have the continues line set up. What I currently have is a pretty short continuous line. I have to go forward to roll the code zero up and that did not allow me to manage the sheet at all. So I got a poor roll on the sail. In addition it was a workout getting it rolled up because I was up front holding both of the continues lines. I sure you have yours set up back to the helm. I single hand a lot so seeing what you have would be great. Thanks
Hey Guys, really really interesting video, well done. Haven't commented on one of your video's for a while, you're becoming very relaxed in front of the camera and it allows us to relax and enjoy them too.
Great video! We love watching RUclips sailing channels in preparation for our own live aboard adventures! Glad to have found your channel. Looking forward to some awesome videos! ~ Josh & Jill
Really enjoyable and informative video. This is my first viewing of your channel and I have some questions: 1) Do you have any underwater lighting and mounted cameras? 2) Do you fish while underway? Is there a cleaning station? 3) If in cold weather at the higher latitudes, what if any heating do you have? 4) What spare parts other than consumables do you recommend carrying? 5) Would you recommend netting on the lifelines? 6) What countertop appliances do you recommend that make cooking & meal prep much easier? 7) Any recommendations on storing & disposing of trash? Thank you!
Sounds like you have a great set-up. One thing I am curious about is if you looked into a soft start for your watermaker so you can run it off the batteries. Other than that, if and when you do replace your batteries, the tech is such that if you have enough Ah to only use 40% before they repower in the morning, those charging cycles are basically free, i.e. they don't count as one of the charging cycles. This is something to discuss with your battery vendor. I'm sure they would have better information than I.
No, I didn't look into a soft start for the watermaker. Though I think my bigger concern with our 110v system would be leaving it running for hours at a time. It would be a pretty large drain on the batteries and we'd likely have to run the generator at some point to make up for the usage anyways...
I installed a large start capacitor on my air conditioning unit so I could run it off a small generator. It made a big improvement in power required and load on the batteries. It's a great addition to any motor.
Gerald Thomas- Battery charge cycles always deteriorate the overall life of a battery. Each time the charge level drops and the rods are not electrically charged to repel corrosion they suffer; but you are on the right path that total charge cycles significantly increases the less the total charge down is. The charge cycle life for most deep cycle batteries is published by the manufacturer. ...and soft starts are great😁
Thanks for the great overview on what works and what you wouldn't do again. We get our FP Lucia next month and I am definitely using some of you experiences to help outfit our cat. I really appreciate your sharing. Thank you.
Congrats on the Lucia! We spent about a month this year with the Lucia "Sandy Cheeks" which is the first Lucia we'd had a chance to see. Definitely a nice boat and certainly capable of sailing around the world!
Dang! I like your style. Looks like you're lucky enough to not have to count pennies. To begin with I like catamarans. It's always nice to be level. A few glasses of wine can give you all the tilt one wants to put up with. Looking forward to following episodes.
Great video .... watched it over and over and sucked every drop of info . Am planning to rebuild a Hurricane Irma damaged Helio 44 and found this info and insight VERY helpful. Great advice on Mainsail setup, block & tackle for downwind sailing, Cockpit hardtop and also the trampoline.....👍🏼
Intermediate track cars: niiiiiiiiiice. Also good info on FP. I'm months away from jumping on a Saona. (Thanks again for the broker rec, Amy. He's great, and his wife is a total badass.)
The intermediate track cars were a relatively small change (but did require resizing the sailbag) that made a big difference in my comfort with the boat out in the ocean. Best of luck with the Saona! That's a good looking boat!
Hey Amy and David. Congrats again on completing your circumnavigation. I was rewatching this video to see what fridge freezer set you have. Can you tell me the make and model of you freezer? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your happiness and knowledge Amy and David. Maybe we'll meet someday somewhere on our beautyful planet. Kind regards, Astrid and Jan, from the Netherlands. x
Been in thailand for 16 years, very few boats here have AIS, even commecial fishing boats do not have it (and also fishing boats love to run without lights at night and almost never give way for boats under sail....they never learn the rules of the road)... thailand is beautiful but rules and application of rules here are 2 very different things.... Hope you sail here, there are some amazing places to see and people are nice... I am building my own boat in the south of thailand right now and would love to meet you guys!!!
We hear amazing things about Thailand! And yes, we are planning on sailing up that way! We'll be doing SE Asia this year and making our way up to Phuket by the end of the year. So keep an eye out for us!
Hi Guys, Really love your sailing videos, and this one is really super. Love how you really put the time and preparation in as you prepared for your off shore journey. Thanks for taking the time to share all the detailed info!! 😊 👍👍👍👍. Fair winds! ⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵
Enjoy your new boat! Hopefully something here will help you as you get used to the boat, but there's ALWAYS more things to customize! That's half the fun. :)
we just get to do a week here and there. grenada last july, channel islands, CA, USA last week. considered taking an Helia, took a Bali 4.3 instead. anyway, great video, and it seems like you were able to make some really good choices that have worked well for you. Fair winds!
Hello guys, nobody speaks about food: budget/day/month, recipes, quantity/day, special recipes, cooking and freeze, just only an idea amazing videos thank you.
Absailutely awesome content David & Amy. I have ssen a lot of monos and multis that have some of your points but have yet to see many with EVERYTHING on SH. You have done your homework well and the results show. I do hope you get to Brisbane or Sth East Qld. I would love to say G'Day. Cheers Brad
Thanks Brad! We've definitely learned a lot and hope others can benefit from our experience. :) And we're planning on doing some boat work probably in the Gold Coast but will definitely be making our way up to Brisbane at some point!
Thank you so Much for all the your advices. We just sign for a new Helia ( hull 220) I have follow you on cruiserforum too and We use some of your advice for our boat. ( fresh water for the flush...) Thank you again and have a safe trip. Philippe
Congrats on the new boat Philippe! Definitely let us know if we can help answer any questions for you. CF and the FP Facebook group are great resources.
Really enjoyed the tour but I wanted to see more of the things you were talking about . Like the helm cockpit area, are there more seats out there? Just saw a glimpse and I was like “noooo pan left.. or tilt down what is that?!” I really wanted to see and “experience” your boat. Very informative and I really like the upgrades and the experience with various components.
You sum it up quite perfectly! I'm always telling SH well done on a successful passage or thanking the engines for working so hard for us. And I think they appreciate it. :) We've talked about doing Patreon a few times, but we're incredibly fortunate in that we don't need to do it in order to help fund our trip. There are so many other amazing channels out there that we'd prefer people donate to those who might need a bit more help. Now, if I crash the drone or drop a camera or two in the water, then I may change my mind. :)
Excellent Details in overview...Beautiful Cat...Your maintenance Shows.....You Guy's have actually circumnavigated the world in Miles.......Didn't cover berths, but the rest has a Nice Layout.......S.F., Ca...I'm used to racing mono's, but getting older..... ;-)
When you are ready to sell this boat and get your next one.. I would love to buy it. Seriously. Our plan is to get our Helia and cruise in 5 years , but you two definitely have it down.
Haha, well believe it or not, a line has already started to form. :) We're not quite sure yet how much longer we'll hold on to SH, but when we do eventually sell her, we'd love it if she could go to someone who's been following her journey!
We're quite lucky in that Amy's Mom has volunteered to receive our mail and let us know if anything important arrives. If you don't have an option like that, there are several services out there that will receive your mail and scan/send you anything.
Great video, thank-you so much. I'm looking at getting a Fountaine Pajot at the moment. Some questions if I may: 1) How happy with the build quality are you? 2) Have you had any warranty issues, if so, how were FP to deal with? 3) Would you go up to a 47, or do you think the 45 is the sweet spot for cruising etc? Many thanks
Extremely well done and detailed. I would love to see a version (which may already exist since i am just tuning in) that discusses process and procedures for long ocean crossings since I plan on doing my own crossing when we purchase our PJ and not opt for having the factory do it for us. also would like to know a bit more regarding standard electronics needs including sat phone, and how do you get wifi through the world?? anyway please write back soon and I will continue to follow you, great job Ray A.
Hey Ray. Thanks for the idea. We're contemplating doing a set of videos more focused on the ins and outs of cruising life and passage life is one of the ones on the list. In the meantime though... Prepping for a long ocean passage is a pretty involved ordeal. We have a checklist to do a thorough inspection of boat systems, make sure we have enough food/diesel to make it to our destination, spend the last of our local currency, find the right weather window, complete clearance formalities and then go! When we left France, we wanted to have our full electronics suite installed and ready to go. We know people who have crossed an ocean using an ipad, but we felt more comfortable having that as just a back up. We use our sat phone for email and downloading weather updates with the occasional call. Amy actually just did a full write up on communications around the world that I think you'd find interesting: outchasingstars.com/2017/11/18/communications/
Hi David&Amy - an excellent and informative video. Well done. I am currently fitting out my FP Lipari 41 for Bluewater cruising so naturally have a few questions. 1. What are the details of your ‘screecher’ and it’s furling system? 2. What fuel polishing system did you install? 3. Details on your ‘rope cutter’ and a photo if if have one? 4. Details on the ‘intermediate track cars’ and who installed them? Any assistance greatly appreciated. N’joy and keep safe out there. Bruce S
Our screecher is a tri-radial cut, 5.5oz Dacron sail. We went with a bit heavier of a fabric to let us fly it in slightly higher winds and because I was worried about ripping the sail. Which in hindsight was a pretty good concern given our issues with the spinnaker. haha! The furler we have is a Karver KF2. I like it because it has a built in 'lock' that supposed to help prevent any accidental unfurlings. The fuel polisher is a Reverso FPS80. It's nice to have and I'll use it if our fuel has been sitting for a while, but I always check the fuel before we put it in our tanks and use a baja type fuel filter if needed. Here's a link to the Rope Strippers we have on the boat: ropestripper.com/ They do require special anodes to fit our Volvo saildrives so I just make sure to have a couple years worth of spares and then order more when we have people visit us. We have a Z-Spar rig so we just purchased these intermediate cars: www.usspars.com/product/?part-id=3482 It's pretty simple to add a small cringle to the main and then either lash or use a webbing strap to attach the car. I'd imagine pretty much any sail loft could handle it. The one downside of adding the cars is it increases the height of the mainsail stack at the boom. So much so that we also had to modify our sailbag to accommodate the additional height. If you haven't had any issues getting your sail to come down, then maybe don't worry about it, but it has definitely been a good improvement for us.
I enjoyed this video. You have, probably the best long cruising vessel I have ever seen and shared a lot of very important features. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike. SH is the result of several years of research before we decided to buy and working with people smarter than us after we did! We're quite pleased with the end product. :)
You both work great as a team, seem to be covering all the bases, hope you both had a safe and happy voyage.
I’ve watched a ton of boat videos and this is one of the most practical and useful 30 minutes I have ever spent on RUclips. Thanks so much for sharing.
So glad you found it helpful! :)
100% Agree 👍💕⚓👏👏
Cool video, I'm taking notes. I don't know if you still read comments to old videos, or if you already know this. Mosquitoes can't fly against a 2 mph breeze, so a good fan shuts 'em right down. Say your back flap needs to be open, a couple of those neat fans... they're not getting in. I also use pyrethrin on my mosquito nets/screens, at home, on my tent (and on my sailboat in a couple of years) they land on it, get sick drop off and die. Pyrethrin is pretty safe to use, has only a slight odor for a couple of days, lasts on jackets, hats, screens, tents... for about 6 weeks. And of course you don't use it on everything, just for mozzies.
What would be great now that you have 5 years and a circumnavigation (congratulations!) might be to go over what was state of the art when you started - boat design, electronics, comms, etc... what changed, what's state of the art now, what you expect for the future.... If you changed boats. I like the way you advanced the second chart plotter idea to the next generation. (I think by the time I go blue water Starlink will be worldwide so internet everywhere all the time. I can well imagine that by 2200 a sizeable part of the world's population will be living on the water - or Mars.) Thanks for sharing what you've learned.
Since I began sailing in the very early 70's I've sailed monohulls, never thinking that one day catamarans would interest me. But watching videos such as Gone With the Wynns, La Vagabond, and yours, I've begun to admire catamarans. Today I own a Beneteau 42s7 monohull and there is little to no chance I'll change to a catamaran given the restricted docking where I dock today. This video was very interesting, enlightening, and educational....thank you for sharing. By the way, I attended the University of Houston (graduated '78) and worked for a sailboat dealer while going to school. It was called Sailboats West and when I began working for them it was located on Post Oak between Richmond and Post Oak in the old KTRH television studios. A year of so later the business moved to Bellaire, just a couple of miles away. I don't know what ever happened to them. While I worked at Sailboats West, my new wife was a nurse working for Dr. Michael Debakey in his open heart intensive care unit at the Methodist Hospital. That's been years ago...my how time flies. Again, thanks for sharing.....I'm loving your videos.
Great insight into catamaran ownership (Especially Helia 44) and your honesty in sharing what has worked and what you would do differently with another possible cat purchase...Thank you for taking the time to create this video
We had a TON of help getting SH ready to start cruising and have learned a LOT since we started out. This is just part of our effort to pay it forward. :)
Out Chasing Stars Thank you for your prompt response. Heather and me are making our Cat purchase in 2019 and I have some fairly strong views on going all electric (no diesel motors) due to what will be available for power storage (batteries) in 2 years time. Combination of; Solar, Wind and Hydro should be a suitable blend combined with some serious battery storage should work...
Have a lovely Day 👍🇬🇧😁 Onwards and Upwards to us all
If you have a cat with two screws I recommend that you have at least one diesel engine. You don't use two screws all the time, and having the diesel for an emergency is a really good idea. Those new batteries coming out especially the lithium ion type...to support an electric drive you are looking at like 30k for batteries that might last 7 years...probably more like 5. Everybody wants the electric drive, but I can tell you that it isn't all it's cracked up to be for continuous use. Fuel for a circumnavigation you won't use 2k fuel a year...more like 1k usually. The cost reward really isn't there, but it is better for lead acid batteries. Though you can't take more than 10-20% capacity out of the lead acid batteries or they just won't last. Soo...in other words you get maybe 3 hours of life out of your drive at extra slow speeds before having to shut it down.
Well said and I totally concur. We're just not there yet and to do a long passage with just electric engines is...well, I'm sure you get it! Ö
The piece of the jigsaw will be ready in 2019 - Lets wait and see and I will share our specs then....
Thanks for this video! We are prepping now for the Pacific Crossing and this was very helpful!!
We're preparing to move from living on Land to living on a Cat by the end of the year. Your vid gave us a ton of helpful info. Thank you.
Iast August I crossed from Southampton to new York on the QM2 never done anything like it before and loved it. Halfway across after not seeing anything for days I see a sail boat pass going in the opposite direction .And thinking what the hell are they doing out in the middle of the Atlantic in that small boat as I'm sipping my cocktail in my suit about to go to dinner and watch Herbie Hancock play live on board. And ever since I returned from that trip ( crossing) I have been glued to RUclips watching people sail around the world in some amazing boats. Much to my misses discuss. But i Love watching people living life to the full and doing things I could only dream of. Money being the only thing stopping me from doing so. Anyway i love watching your videos you talk things through and explain things in detail then over videos I've watched. Thanks to people like you two I get to have dreams of doing the same thing. All the best cheers
The sea is an enchanting mistress! One she grabs a hold of you, she won't let go! :)
You set your boat up beautifully. As for the "living on a water condo rather than sailing" criticism - most 35 ft. monohull sailors would buy a 55+ ft yacht in a heartbeat if they could afford it. Why? More stability and living space. Those boats, which I've been on, also have state of the art electronics, etc. A 55+ foot boat does not heel the way a 35 foot boat heels. It sails flatter because it is more stable. So, are they no longer really sailing? What is sailing? Racing? All good boats will sail. Comfort is key to safety as well. If the boat is stable, it will sail well. For me, the point you are making with the way you are living is that you are living on the ocean rather than looking at the ocean from a condo on shore, or wishing you were closer to the ocean from miles away. It's also about having the mobility to move from one place to the other, and visiting other countries and cultures at will, all under sail. Enjoy!
Hi. Nice videos.
Tip for your dingys Suzuki engine. The 9.9 sport- 15 and 20 hp lean burn engines are the same engines. The only thing that is different between the 9.9 sport, 15 and the 20 is the ECU and the restrictor in the air intake tube .
9.9 to 15 hp- remove restrictor in the intake or drill the center hole in the restrictor up to 16mm. The easyest is to remowe it, Just cut it out with a sharp knife.
15 to 20 hp. Remove the restrictor and by a new ECU that give you the 200 extra rpm. 👍🙂🇧🇻
Y,all have really took very good care of a BEAUTIFUL vessel
Thank you for giving such a great in-depth look at what may be needed for long shore. The window covers are genius too, it does get hot without them.
There is pretty much an instant increase in temperature if we remove the window shades. At times, life inside would be almost unbearable with out them!
Wow! Great video....every time you two put out a video I enjoy it so much. I don't think you could ever make a bad one! The quality of the picture on the video is fantastic! Wow! Wow! Wow! Such an informative video!!! Two Thumbs UP!!!!! I am sitting over here making notes. I am about five years away from supporting my own boat, and I am paying CLOSE attention to everything you two say and do!! Awesome!! Awesome!! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hehe, this video is a sneak peak using our new camera. I like our new camera! :D Glad to help give you ideas, but I'm sure there are/will be plenty of examples of things NOT to do as well!
Guessing it is the new Panasonic GH5??? Not the GoPro Hero 4 silver??
Correct. :) We're trying to use the GH5 as the main camera and the GoPro for more action/wide angle shots.
Thank you Amy and David! That was an excellent video for those of us looking to buy a production cat and live aboard. Your travel videos are always an awesome balance between sharing the moment and providing great information and history. I appreciate your efforts :)
We're really glad to hear that you enjoy the informational/historical side to our videos. It's a bit of a hard balance to strike, but we really enjoy those parts of our travels and want to share. :)
You have a beautiful catamaran fitted out with state of the art electronics.You must have had many interesting experiences sailing around the planet.Fitting a hydro generator sounds like a good idea.
I've watched a lot of yachting videos. I want to go motor cruising and there is a crossover with equipment. Seriously, this is the first video I have watched that makes sense to me with the extras you have. Most particularly, the enclosed cockpit/helm whachamacallit, the large generator, cleaning with unsalted water and large battery capacity. Not to mention aircon. I want a fly bridge, but definitely want it to be enclosed while cruising. The other compulsory items would be a dishwasher and washing machine and dryer.
Great advice, thanks for fuel advice.
Credit to you guys, excellent video thank you
Nice video, tongs of great tips! Thank you
Finally a much needed video!THANK YOU!!! I've been watching vids that share general sailing and some technical ones but I learned so much here in just one vid! So, KUDOS TO BOTH OF YOU!! Here's what I learned that I didn't know after 6 months and a couple hundred hours. I had no idea there were oil change pumps! (what a concept and a no brainer) I also didn't know there are rope cutters on folding props. (another no brainer.) And great tip about the fresh water flush for the heads. BTW...I'm not at all surprised at all the issues you've had with improper installation of the satellite equipment. I hold a General Class licence with the FCC (Amateur Radio) and can tell you all coax IS NOT created equal. It's too much to go into here and I'm planning on making a video but yes...the type of coax, the length and how many connectors you use are all SUPER CRITICAL and can be the difference between something working or not working. Also, THANK YOU for talking about the salty sailor standing on the back of his boat with the hair in his wind and wind in his air. (sorry...couldn't resist..Ü) I could never figure out why someone would want to endure the punishment of the sea in their face on top of getting thrown around from side to side. I thought maybe there was some secret sailor club that I didn't know about offering trophies to those who stood out there in their foul weather gear getting slammed from the elements. HA! So, I love you enclosures. Question? Why don't you make all the winches electric? PEACE OUT!
As I said, it can be well worth finding someone who knows more than you do when you're trying to outfit a boat. Pat helped us find those oil change pumps, design the enclosure/helm hardtop and all kinds of other things that we had no idea about at the time.
There was no real need to go with all electric winches because all the important lines (halyards, furling lines, reef lines) all go to the one electric winch at the helm. Having additional electric winches would be nice, but not really worth the added expense or weight.
And if there is some sort of super secret sailor club out there which requires standing outside in foulies, I probably don't want to be a part of it! :D
Thank you for the answer about the winches. NOOOOOW I understand. You're the first to explain it. Not a fan of the secret sailors club either! Ü
Great video again and presentation. I love your enclosed deck and helm station. When I look at this videos with people sailing the English Channel, with their “oilies”. I wonder how they think that is fun out in the open, getting blasted by the spray. I am not a sailor, but your setup in my view , with the Cat and the enclosed area, just makes sense to get you out of the sun, rain and spray. You guys are setup very comfortably and why not, it is your home. Safe journeys and thanks so much for sharing the good life of cruising.
My view was to try and set up the boat in a way that Amy would be happy to join me on this adventure. Somehow I doubt she'd be quite as enthused if she had to stand out in the salt spray during a mid-night squall! :)
billyl allen
It's the difference between walking your dog in the park versus summiting a mountain. You can't just go and say that each activity is "just walking, putting one foot ahead of the other". They are two different activities with different costs and different rewards. Everyone has their own enjoyment to find in life.
Very informative, thank you. The only thing...the trampoline..the bigger the hole the less stress on the boat, maybe go back to bigger holes. You can get an temp small hole cover for when at anchorage. Safe travels!!!
I love how they have made that boat fit their desires. Making it more like a house than a boat of course, but its their choice.
And lots of money,...lol
Thanks for doing this guys. This is very helpful for those of us looking to do what you are doing in the future and will most likely will be getting a production boat that will need upgrades to become a full time live aboard boat.
Liked the video, touch on almost everything except the black water disposal and or treatment. the first video that really explained lots of important things . thank you AL
Hi Alvin, we cover black water and trash in our long Q&A video in our Environment section. You can check out the link here: ruclips.net/video/IxPqi1P8Gtk/видео.html
Just watched this again and, man, you guys, there is a ton of great info. Some of which I had forgotten from the first time thru. Thanks again. Question. Do you have a more detailed list of the what, why and who did the work and approx how much for all the upgrades as well as modifications? That would be great and kinda act as a checklist for the rest of us. No need to reinvent the wheel so I'm told. :) 😊✨🥂👍👌⛵️⚓️🍷✨
Hi David and Amy Thanks for your awesome videos. You guys are the best !!! This video in particular was very informative, and will help us in selection of our additional upgrades on our new Lagoon 42 as we get closer to our long term cruising plans. We have an 11kVa Onan genset and will be installing a HV water maker also. So it is good to receive some assurance on this choice. The only thing I was hoping to see was a pic of how and where you installed your shore power frequency converter. Thanks again for making the effort to share your experiences with al of us. Happy cruising. Cheers Tony
Yeah, sorry about that. We haven't ever used the frequency converter for its actual purpose so honestly I forget about it sometimes...
We ended up having to cut out a fairly large part of the molded fiberglass storage under the owners berth to install the converter. It's very large and extremely heavy so that was the only place we could make it fit. Truthfully, I wouldn't do it again. It turns out our Air Cons are "derated" at 50hz (and getting them to run was our primary motivation for getting the converter) and we rarely spend time in marinas anyways...
I like your enclosure. Great idea for best of both worlds.
David, I just re-watched your Catamaran set up. You may remember we are new Catamaran sailors after 25 year of mono. I took your recommendation on the code zero used one sheet. The other day we sailed up to 70 degrees in 8 to 10 apparent and the sail did great. The wind picked up to 12 knots so I decided that was enough. When I went to roll it up it was a bear. I would love to see how you have the continues line set up. What I currently have is a pretty short continuous line. I have to go forward to roll the code zero up and that did not allow me to manage the sheet at all. So I got a poor roll on the sail. In addition it was a workout getting it rolled up because I was up front holding both of the continues lines. I sure you have yours set up back to the helm. I single hand a lot so seeing what you have would be great. Thanks
Hey Guys, really really interesting video, well done. Haven't commented on one of your video's for a while, you're becoming very relaxed in front of the camera and it allows us to relax and enjoy them too.
Thanks Craig! This is all very much a learning process for us, but with each video it gets a bit easier.
Thank you for that, very informative, it helps with my daydreaming. One day it will happen 🇦🇺
Great video! Starry is an amazing boat - and very comfortable for your visitors. Of course, you guys are fabulous hosts!
Great video! We love watching RUclips sailing channels in preparation for our own live aboard adventures! Glad to have found your channel. Looking forward to some awesome videos! ~ Josh & Jill
Love this video.. I was glued to the screen... Thank you So much!
Watched the whole thing, been playing with the idea of purchasing my own Cat and starting a new lifestyle. Thanks so much, happy sailing. - Matt
Best tour and advice on RUclips.
Great info. Thanks!
Amazing video. Thanks.
Great video; some very helpful and practical information. Thanks a heap it’s very much appreciated
Really enjoyable and informative video. This is my first viewing of your channel and I have some questions:
1) Do you have any underwater lighting and mounted cameras?
2) Do you fish while underway? Is there a cleaning station?
3) If in cold weather at the higher latitudes, what if any heating do you have?
4) What spare parts other than consumables do you recommend carrying?
5) Would you recommend netting on the lifelines?
6) What countertop appliances do you recommend that make cooking & meal prep much easier?
7) Any recommendations on storing & disposing of trash?
Thank you!
Sounds like you have a great set-up. One thing I am curious about is if you looked into a soft start for your watermaker so you can run it off the batteries. Other than that, if and when you do replace your batteries, the tech is such that if you have enough Ah to only use 40% before they repower in the morning, those charging cycles are basically free, i.e. they don't count as one of the charging cycles. This is something to discuss with your battery vendor. I'm sure they would have better information than I.
No, I didn't look into a soft start for the watermaker. Though I think my bigger concern with our 110v system would be leaving it running for hours at a time. It would be a pretty large drain on the batteries and we'd likely have to run the generator at some point to make up for the usage anyways...
I installed a large start capacitor on my air conditioning unit so I could run it off a small generator. It made a big improvement in power required and load on the batteries. It's a great addition to any motor.
Gerald Thomas-
Battery charge cycles always deteriorate the overall life of a battery. Each time the charge level drops and the rods are not electrically charged to repel corrosion they suffer; but you are on the right path that total charge cycles significantly increases the less the total charge down is. The charge cycle life for most deep cycle batteries is published by the manufacturer.
...and soft starts are great😁
Gell Cell Deep cycle batteries ...Optima for instance
Why use a soft start anything when you can put in a capacitor?
Thanks for the great overview on what works and what you wouldn't do again. We get our FP Lucia next month and I am definitely using some of you experiences to help outfit our cat. I really appreciate your sharing. Thank you.
Congrats on the Lucia! We spent about a month this year with the Lucia "Sandy Cheeks" which is the first Lucia we'd had a chance to see. Definitely a nice boat and certainly capable of sailing around the world!
Great episode guys, Thanks for taking us with you on your travels :) Cheers from PEI Canada, Bryan.
Fabulous information I subscribed, more of a Leopard and Catana fan but everything here was super helpful Than You Please keep it up
Dang! I like your style. Looks like you're lucky enough to not have to count pennies. To begin with I like catamarans. It's always nice to be level. A few glasses of wine can give you all the tilt one wants to put up with. Looking forward to following episodes.
Amazing ...Quality through out....1st class job...Thank You...filing this one away for notes..
Great video .... watched it over and over and sucked every drop of info . Am planning to rebuild a Hurricane Irma damaged Helio 44 and found this info and insight VERY helpful.
Great advice on Mainsail setup, block & tackle for downwind sailing, Cockpit hardtop and also the trampoline.....👍🏼
Super. Thanks.
Intermediate track cars: niiiiiiiiiice. Also good info on FP. I'm months away from jumping on a Saona. (Thanks again for the broker rec, Amy. He's great, and his wife is a total badass.)
The intermediate track cars were a relatively small change (but did require resizing the sailbag) that made a big difference in my comfort with the boat out in the ocean. Best of luck with the Saona! That's a good looking boat!
Hey Amy and David. Congrats again on completing your circumnavigation. I was rewatching this video to see what fridge freezer set you have. Can you tell me the make and model of you freezer? Thanks!
They are Isotherm units. The freezer is a CR90F Inox and the fridge is a Drawer 190. Hope that helps!
Use dielectric grease in your sat connections. It will keep the water out.
Thanks for sharing your happiness and knowledge Amy and David. Maybe we'll meet someday somewhere on our beautyful planet. Kind regards, Astrid and Jan, from the Netherlands. x
so envious! you guys are living the life (green face and all)
Very nice comprehensive video about Starry Horizons, thank you for sharing :)
Great video! Love your boat and your personalities!
Been in thailand for 16 years, very few boats here have AIS, even commecial fishing boats do not have it (and also fishing boats love to run without lights at night and almost never give way for boats under sail....they never learn the rules of the road)... thailand is beautiful but rules and application of rules here are 2 very different things.... Hope you sail here, there are some amazing places to see and people are nice... I am building my own boat in the south of thailand right now and would love to meet you guys!!!
We hear amazing things about Thailand! And yes, we are planning on sailing up that way! We'll be doing SE Asia this year and making our way up to Phuket by the end of the year. So keep an eye out for us!
Hi Guys, Really love your sailing videos, and this one is really super. Love how you really put the time and preparation in as you prepared for your off shore journey. Thanks for taking the time to share all the detailed info!! 😊 👍👍👍👍. Fair winds! ⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵
Glad you enjoyed it. :) This one was a bit different from our normal videos, but I felt the info was worth sharing.
Thanks excellent video, lots of good ideas. Heading out next week on our cat for the first time
Enjoy your new boat! Hopefully something here will help you as you get used to the boat, but there's ALWAYS more things to customize! That's half the fun. :)
So who was the rich one before the marriage?
we just get to do a week here and there. grenada last july, channel islands, CA, USA last week. considered taking an Helia, took a Bali 4.3 instead.
anyway, great video, and it seems like you were able to make some really good choices that have worked well for you.
Fair winds!
Hello guys, nobody speaks about food: budget/day/month, recipes, quantity/day, special recipes, cooking and freeze, just only an idea amazing videos thank you.
We've been brainstorming different videos to make and we'll definitely put that idea on the list! Thanks!
Maybe buy a fishing rod and say a few prayers...
I have total boat envy 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
*Thank YOU...Awesome insight watched all of it!!!!*
Nice boat. Thanks for the walk through.
Hey guys, great video thanks for sharing. We really appreciate y'all , we love your boat too. Safe travels.
Really happy to hear that you enjoyed it! :)
A 'thumbs up' is hardly enough for all of this great info -thank you!
Thank you very much. Very interesting and informative
Absailutely awesome content David & Amy. I have ssen a lot of monos and multis that have some of your points but have yet to see many with EVERYTHING on SH. You have done your homework well and the results show. I do hope you get to Brisbane or Sth East Qld. I would love to say G'Day.
Cheers Brad
Thanks Brad! We've definitely learned a lot and hope others can benefit from our experience. :) And we're planning on doing some boat work probably in the Gold Coast but will definitely be making our way up to Brisbane at some point!
Awesome, if you need a local guide for the inside run between the Goldie and Brisvegas, give us a yell.
Enjoyed every mouthfull, will refer to it when I buy my boat, thank you.
Thank you so Much for all the your advices.
We just sign for a new Helia ( hull 220) I have follow you on cruiserforum too and We use some of your advice for our boat.
( fresh water for the flush...)
Thank you again and have a safe trip.
Philippe
Congrats on the new boat Philippe! Definitely let us know if we can help answer any questions for you. CF and the FP Facebook group are great resources.
Very informative video. Thank you
Thanks. Great video. Really informative. Happy sailing.
That was an excellent overview guys. Love your cat too.... thanks and best from HKG
Thanks, great video.
Excellent insight on your vessel set up. Thank you.
This was great guys! Thanks for the "inside" info.
Really enjoyed the tour but I wanted to see more of the things you were talking about . Like the helm cockpit area, are there more seats out there? Just saw a glimpse and I was like “noooo pan left.. or tilt down what is that?!” I really wanted to see and “experience” your boat. Very informative and I really like the upgrades and the experience with various components.
Brilliant video, thank you for sharing.
Great overview! Thank you,
i know nothing about boats but really liked this i like common sense
Thank you. Thank you for patiently teaching. Needed.
Lots of great information thank you
Great video and keep on going, you two are awesome
Excellent job guys on this.....specifications, instructional video. This is your home..love your boat and it will love you. No Patreon?
You sum it up quite perfectly! I'm always telling SH well done on a successful passage or thanking the engines for working so hard for us. And I think they appreciate it. :)
We've talked about doing Patreon a few times, but we're incredibly fortunate in that we don't need to do it in order to help fund our trip. There are so many other amazing channels out there that we'd prefer people donate to those who might need a bit more help. Now, if I crash the drone or drop a camera or two in the water, then I may change my mind. :)
Great work, thanks for all the efforts!
Love your boat, very helpful video 🙌🏼🌴🗺
Great!!!
At 9:00 minutes in your are featured in a close up with your blue dress, blue eyes and blue kleenex box.
such a nice pop of color.
Excellent Details in overview...Beautiful Cat...Your maintenance Shows.....You Guy's have actually circumnavigated the world in Miles.......Didn't cover berths, but the rest has a Nice Layout.......S.F., Ca...I'm used to racing mono's, but getting older..... ;-)
Haha, you know what?? We actually hadn't realized that! Thanks for pointing that out!
Great video, very informative. I'm living my dream though you guys. Have fun.
When you are ready to sell this boat and get your next one.. I would love to buy it. Seriously. Our plan is to get our Helia and cruise in 5 years , but you two definitely have it down.
Haha, well believe it or not, a line has already started to form. :) We're not quite sure yet how much longer we'll hold on to SH, but when we do eventually sell her, we'd love it if she could go to someone who's been following her journey!
Great info and video! Thank you
Most enlightened, thank you. I would like to know what you do for mail, banking and a few items can be done online but that mail is a nuisance.
We're quite lucky in that Amy's Mom has volunteered to receive our mail and let us know if anything important arrives. If you don't have an option like that, there are several services out there that will receive your mail and scan/send you anything.
Great video, thank-you so much. I'm looking at getting a Fountaine Pajot at the moment.
Some questions if I may:
1) How happy with the build quality are you?
2) Have you had any warranty issues, if so, how were FP to deal with?
3) Would you go up to a 47, or do you think the 45 is the sweet spot for cruising etc?
Many thanks
Extremely well done and detailed. I would love to see a version (which may already exist since i am just tuning in) that discusses process and procedures for long ocean crossings since I plan on doing my own crossing when we purchase our PJ and not opt for having the factory do it for us. also would like to know a bit more regarding standard electronics needs including sat phone, and how do you get wifi through the world?? anyway please write back soon and I will continue to follow you, great job
Ray A.
Hey Ray. Thanks for the idea. We're contemplating doing a set of videos more focused on the ins and outs of cruising life and passage life is one of the ones on the list.
In the meantime though... Prepping for a long ocean passage is a pretty involved ordeal. We have a checklist to do a thorough inspection of boat systems, make sure we have enough food/diesel to make it to our destination, spend the last of our local currency, find the right weather window, complete clearance formalities and then go!
When we left France, we wanted to have our full electronics suite installed and ready to go. We know people who have crossed an ocean using an ipad, but we felt more comfortable having that as just a back up. We use our sat phone for email and downloading weather updates with the occasional call. Amy actually just did a full write up on communications around the world that I think you'd find interesting: outchasingstars.com/2017/11/18/communications/
Very informative. Thanks.
Out of curiosity what was the original purchase price of the boat and then how much did all the upgrades/extras cost?
Hi David&Amy - an excellent and informative video. Well done. I am currently fitting out my FP Lipari 41 for Bluewater cruising so naturally have a few questions. 1. What are the details of your ‘screecher’ and it’s furling system? 2. What fuel polishing system did you install? 3. Details on your ‘rope cutter’ and a photo if if have one? 4. Details on the ‘intermediate track cars’ and who installed them? Any assistance greatly appreciated. N’joy and keep safe out there. Bruce S
Our screecher is a tri-radial cut, 5.5oz Dacron sail. We went with a bit heavier of a fabric to let us fly it in slightly higher winds and because I was worried about ripping the sail. Which in hindsight was a pretty good concern given our issues with the spinnaker. haha! The furler we have is a Karver KF2. I like it because it has a built in 'lock' that supposed to help prevent any accidental unfurlings.
The fuel polisher is a Reverso FPS80. It's nice to have and I'll use it if our fuel has been sitting for a while, but I always check the fuel before we put it in our tanks and use a baja type fuel filter if needed.
Here's a link to the Rope Strippers we have on the boat: ropestripper.com/ They do require special anodes to fit our Volvo saildrives so I just make sure to have a couple years worth of spares and then order more when we have people visit us.
We have a Z-Spar rig so we just purchased these intermediate cars: www.usspars.com/product/?part-id=3482 It's pretty simple to add a small cringle to the main and then either lash or use a webbing strap to attach the car. I'd imagine pretty much any sail loft could handle it. The one downside of adding the cars is it increases the height of the mainsail stack at the boom. So much so that we also had to modify our sailbag to accommodate the additional height. If you haven't had any issues getting your sail to come down, then maybe don't worry about it, but it has definitely been a good improvement for us.
Out Chasing Stars Thank heaps guys. Will send some pics when we get everything installed. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Would love to see the pics. Best of luck!
Can you put the shades on the outside? If so, would that keep more heat outside of the boat? It may get dirty faster, but would it be worth it?
I enjoyed this video. You have, probably the best long cruising vessel I have ever seen and shared a lot of very important features. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike. SH is the result of several years of research before we decided to buy and working with people smarter than us after we did! We're quite pleased with the end product. :)